St. Pierre, CharlesIrene'E CastelDe

, a French
moral and political writer, was born in 1658, of a noble
family, at Saint-Pierre in Normandy. He studied at the
college of Caen, and was brought up to the church, and
obtained some preferment; but was more distinguished for
his political knowledge. Previous to his appearing in political life, he wrote some observations on philosophical
grammar, in consequence of which he was admitted a member of the academy in 1695. His political fame induced
the cardinal Polignac to take him with him to the conferences for the peace of Utrecht; and here he appears to
have announced one of his favourite projects, the establishment of a kind of European diet, in order to secure a perpetual peace, which cardinal Fleury received with good
humour, but saw at once its practical difficulties. Such
indeed was the case with most of the schemes he published
in his works, which are now nearly forgotten. He certainly, however, had the merit of discovering the defects
of the government of LouisXIV. and pleaded the cause of
a more free constitution with much boldness. One of his
best works was “A Memorial on the establishment of a
proportional Taille,” which is said to have meliorated the
state of taxation in France. He d,ied in 1743, aged eightyfive. After the death of LouisXIV. he published some of
his spirited sentiments of that monarch in a pamphlet entitled “La Polysvnodie,” or the plurality of councils, for
which he was excelled the French academy, Fontenelle
only giving a vote in his favour. An edition of his works
was published in H-.li md, 1744. 18 vols. 12mo. 2

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